FIFA 14 goes on sale, player ratings announced

FIFA 14, the latest installment in the top-selling video game series from EA
Sports, hits the shelves worldwide today.

The franchise is now in its 21st year and while a host of new game play features have sent excitement levels soaring amongst gamers, it is the latest update of the player ratings that will set tongues wagging within the football community.

The player ratings are a source of hot debate amongst gamers and professional footballers with the likes of Rio Ferdinand taking to Twitter in the past to voice his displeasure at diminishing pace stats:

&lt;noframe&gt;Twitter: Rio Ferdinand - &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/EASPORTSFIFA" target="_blank"&gt;@EASPORTSFIFA&lt;/a&gt; before it goes LIVE at 6pm my Pace better have been upped to the rightful 70's!!&lt;/noframe&gt;

The EA Sports team analyses footage from all over the world to create a formula for player ratings. Each player is rated on their goal scoring ability, pace, passing, dribbling, defending, heading, special 'skill moves', and ability to kick with both feet.

Manchester United have three of the Premier League’s top five finishers - Robin van Persie (1st), Javier Hernández (4th) and Wayne Rooney (5th). New Spurs signing Roberto Soldado jumps straight into third place among the Premier League’s strikers, while Sergio Aguero represents the blue half of Manchester in second place.

Arsenal are the only team to have two players in the Premier League’s top five fastest players, with Theo Walcott and Ryo Miyaichi claiming first and second place. Meanwhile, Serie A contributes two players to the list of the world’s fastest, and Mathis Bolly of the Bundesliga’s second tier is the only player not playing in his country’s top division to make the top 5 globally in any of the criteria released by EA Sports.

In the Premier League, Swansea fans will be pleased to see Leon Britton ranked fourth in the League for passing, and the top ranked English player ahead of Manchester United’s Michael Carrick.

Bayern München have two of the top five players in the game for dribbling in Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, while the Catalan giants have three in Messi, Neymar, and Iniesta. Meanwhile, two of the top five dribblers in the Premier League are new to the division after the summer transfer window, with Willian ranked third and Erik Lamela fifth.

Rio Ferdinand remains in the Premier League’s top 5 defenders, ranked fifth, with his team mate Nemanja Vidic the Premier League’s top defender. The Premier League is also home to two of the top 5 headers of the ball in the game, with Arsenal’s Per Mertesacker ranked second, above Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic in fourth.

EA Sports said that, with FIFA 14 offering improved “pure shot” technology, scoring goals will feel more rewarding than ever. Gamers will also benefit from new sprint dribble turns, with players able to make quick cuts and turns to beat defenders one-on-one with the ball.

FIFA 14 places a greater emphasis on building up play through midfield thanks to improved team mate intelligence and a more realistic variation in dribble touches, and dribbling has been transformed with player skill greatly impacting on their control when running with the ball.

At the other end of the virtual pitch, new second chance tackles gives defenders the chance to recover from missed tackles. Being two-footed is also more important than ever, and having a perfect weak foot means the player can play as comfortably on their weak foot as their strong.

Telegraph reviewer Nathan Ditum was impressed with some of the new features of FIFA 14 and says it remains way ahead of its closest rival, Pro Evolution Soccer. But he was left wondering whether EA Sports could have done more.

"On balance, FIFA 14's changes make for exciting football that's undeniably more sophisticated than last year's game," he wrote.

"The bigger question is whether this is enough, not just in the context of a series that asks players to buy a full-price game every year, but also considering its lengthy spell of marketplace dominance. Should we expect more than this?"

FIFA 14 is available on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and will also be offered on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles when they launch in the next couple of months. Most retailers will be offering the game at £39.99.

EA Sports has also released FIFA 14 as a free download for both Android and iOS, which offers in-app purchases.